


Princess Hostage

by AlexanderTemple



Series: Sign of the Timez [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: History, Kidnapping, Princess - Freeform, Rome - Freeform, Time Travel, hostage, romans, slave - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29941743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexanderTemple/pseuds/AlexanderTemple
Summary: This is part 3 of the "Sign of the Timez" series.A young princess is given to the Romans as a hostage, so her Dad does what the Romans want. The girl must now live in constant danger with the enemy. They want her to act like a Roman and think like one. Can she do this? Will the Romans see her as a Roman or enemy?
Series: Sign of the Timez [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821595





	1. 1. How I got here

_**This is the third part of “Sign of the timez”. It is recommended to read the other parts first.** _

* * *

I was in some cage on a wagon entering a town. People were standing at the side of the road cheering at us. I could see that some Roman soldiers were escorting me. The problem was that I was in chains in a cage. I felt tears going down my face as I realized that I was not home yet. It was still as if I was in some Hollywood film. 

There was another girl in the same cage next to me. She looked very afraid. I wondered who she was in this world, and why were we being paraded through some ancient town. I wanted to ask so many questions, but this was impossible as people were jeering at us and throwing rotten fruit at us. I had to sigh thinking that this was not the greatest start to the new adventure that I was being forced upon. 

We arrived at what looked like to be a palace. The guards opened the cage and dragged the two of us out. We were dragged through some dark passageways. The girl that was with me shouted at the guards not to treat me like an animal. This made me mad at the magic book that sent me here. I was finally a princess, but I was in chains and about to be thrown in some dark cell. 

The guards laughed as we were thrown into the cell. They called us animals and barbarians. I sat in a corner as I could not help but cry. Ever since I was sent by the magic book, I have been in the worse situations ever and my life was always on the line. It is no surprise that I was once again in a dangerous situation. 

I asked the girl what her name was. She told me her name was Frida and then asked me how I could forget that? I said I must have hit my head or something because I could not remember who I was and how we got here. 

"You and I come from Caledonia (Scotland). You were born a princess and lived in the big hut. You and I were best friends since I could remember. I knew you were the daughter of the chief and this was important, but you did not care about status. We both liked being friends and had many fun games and experiences!

We lived in peace and never thought the Romans would invade the North. I remember that the elders would tell stories about Romans. They were great warriors but was ruthless and never showed any mercy. We were afraid of them but believed they would never come to the North. 

They did however and the chiefs in the north met with your dad. You and I heard them speak that the Romans were preparing to come to the North. The other chiefs wanted to unite and in this way, they could defend everyone against the Romans. Your dad did not agree and tried to persuade the others that the Romans just wanted some money. If we paid them some gold, they would leave us alone. The whole idea of uniting together fell apart. This did not make your father very popular in our tribe. Even your mom was mad at your dad, calling him a weak coward. This was hard for you as your parents were fighting and your father was so unpopular. 

The Romans did invade, and slowly one tribe was defeated and then another one. We heard of one massacre after another one. This worried your dad, so he did what everyone did not want him to. He surrendered to the Romans and offered them gold and animals to be left alone. 

The Romans accepted the surrender and gave your dad permission to continue to lead the tribe. Of course, this means he is only a puppet for the Romans. The tribe now has to work harder than ever to give the Romans food and gold. I heard my Dad say that we are nothing more than slaves now. 

The Romans wanted more. They wanted you as a hostage. You would be taken to Rome and they said you will be a Roman. Your mother screamed and cried about this. She pleaded to your father to have the courage and say no to the Romans. However, your Dad agreed and gave you to a Roman officer. You were confused and started crying and begging your dad to go. Your mother supported you by saying you were only 11 seasons old and still to long. Your Dad did not even answer.

I was crying too and did not want you to be alone in Rome. So I begged your mother to let me go with you. Your Dad and my parents didn't like this idea, but your mom pushed me to the Romans. The officer said he would take me as well. 

Do you know remember anything?"

I lied as I nodded. I hugged her and said I was happy that I was not alone. I told her that we just had to do what the Romans wanted and show we were nice girls that did not cause any drama and were not brats. At the same time, I was trying to remember from my history classes about the Romans. All I could remember was that lions ate Christians. This made me think that I should not mention God or Jesus. 

Then I thought about my dad here. How could he give up to his daughter to the Romans? I know that my real dad from 2020 would never give me up. I shed a tear as I remembered my real mom and Dad. They must be so worried about where I was. They would never understand that I was being thrown through history. Who would ever think that? The best thing I could do was pray for my parents and believe that one day I would see them again. 

Now I was a princess from some primitive tribe. I was a prisoner in Rome. I was now a princess that was surrendered to the Romans as a prisoner or hostage. I could feel both anger and fear. I never wanted to meet my dad that was the king now as I would give him a piece of my mind. I hated the man for giving up his daughter. 

My thoughts were interrupted by a man visiting the cell. I was told that he was the Emporer himself. He looked very small and very fat. He looked ugly. I quickly bowed when he came in as I wanted to show him my respect. He just stood there and looked up and down at me. The only thing that he said was that it was a shame that I was not a boy. He told the officer that was with him that he needed time to think about what should be done with me. Before he left, he said that we should be given Roman attire. 

So Frida and I were given some white togas. Frida's was plain white and I could see the cloth was a bit coarse. The toga I had some gold embroidery and a woollen belt. We now looked Roman and even the guard said we did not look like Barbarians. 

We had to wait for the Emporer to see us again. We were still kept in the dark cell which had a small window. Frida said she wondered what would happen to us. I did not say anything as I started thinking. We would most likely be slaves for the Romans. This would be a hard life, as it meant that I would be owned and could do what I wanted to do. I would be doing chores all day and I would never get any rest. I also wondered if my owner would be nice or mean. I did not want to be whipped or starved. 

The other option was death. I could be crucified or fed to some lion. The magic that got me here could bring me home. Maybe death would be the best option as it would only be a short time that I would suffer. The problem is what if the magic did not help? I did not want to die yet. I did not even want to be here. I wanted to be in 2020 with my parents!

Two guards came to get us. They told us the Emporer wanted to speak with us. I could feel my heart beating quickly and I was shaking.

* * *

_**To be continued** _


	2. 2. Living in Luxury

We were taken to the palace where the Emporer was sitting. The palace was a very posh place, with lots of marbles and pillars and statues. There was gold everywhere. Slaves were busy doing their chores while the Emporer sat on a sofa and was drinking some wine. I still thought he was ugly and it was hard to believe that he was the most powerful man in the world! He was also the man that could decide my fate. 

I stood before him as he hardly looked at me. He told me that I was a guest and Rome would treat me well. He knew that I was afraid and confused as to why I was taken away from my parents and taken far away to Rome. He explained that I was insurance that Caledonia will not fight the Romans. It would be a sign of peace between Caledonia and Rome, and proof that both can live together. 

"You have been a princess in a primitive land." He continued, "You will be a princess in Rome. You will be a special guest of this palace. We will treat you like a princess and teach you the Roman traditions and culture. In time, you will be a Roman and this will help your homeland if you ever go back. I want you to feel safe here and happy. You will have everything that you desire."

I curtsied and thanked the Emporer for his kindness. I knew that I was more than a guest. I was a hostage. If my homeland did not do as Rome commanded, then my life would be in danger. I wondered if my father even cared. It did seem like that he gave me up very easily. Maybe if I was a boy, he would have fought some more or had more courage. 

Frida was told that she would be a slave and her job was to take care of me and do as I commanded her to do. I felt bad that she was a slave. How can anyone force another person to be a slave, as it felt strange thinking of another human being property? Despite my feelings about it, Frida was content with being my slave. She explained later it meant that we will be together and it was better than death. I suppose that I had to get used to the way things were in the Roman days. I found out that a third of the people were slaves!

Life in the palace was great. The Emporer had a son that was like a crown prince. He was a bit older than me. The Emporer hoped that we would get on together and I tried this. We had classes where we learned about Roman history, the Gods and how to read and maths. The school was very difficult and the teacher was very strict. He had no problem in slapping us, especially the crown prince. 

When we were not at school, then it was like being on a holiday camp. I could swim and take long walks in beautiful gardens. I could also do hobbies such as weaving or pottery. I did feel bad for Frida, especially when I was swimming. She was not allowed to participate in anything, she just looked at me doing things and waited for my next command. Life as a slave was not fun. Despite all this, she had a smile on her face all the time and never complained when I asked for something. I had to remember all the time not to take her for granted, or to think she was some pet that would do my every wish. She was a human being. 

The crown prince's name was Cato. He was a very skinny teen that had crooked teeth. He was not that smart and yet he was the future leader of Rome. He had no compassion, especially with slaves. He treated them a lot like dirt and did not care if they suffered or not. He was just a spoiled brat that only thought about himself. The Emporer hoped that I would get on with Cato, but it was so hard to get on with someone that had no values and was like a monster. 

Cato did not like me either. He thought that I was a primitive barbarian that came from an uncivilized nation. According to him, I was not born a Roman and I could never be a Roman. The most I could do was to pretend that I was one. I found out that Cato hated me. Maybe it was because I was a guest and I was a princess. Maybe it was because I was getting attention. Maybe he thought that I was a threat.

A few weeks after I came, he pushed me against a wall and told me not to get too comfortable here. He reminded me that a dog had a higher status than a primitive animal like me. He also reminded me that being a princess of some dirt hole didn't matter anymore as Rome now controlled my people and my fate now was in the hands of Rome. I was shaking as he said this. Despite him being mean and evil, I knew that he was right. I was a hostage here and I could be put to death at any time. 

Frida was still friends with me and we had long conversations. One day, she was crying as she missed her parents and our homeland. She was worried about how everyone was. I knelt beside her and hugged her. I reminded her that Rome would treat our land well and we had our duty here to make sure the Romans know that we were nice people. Cato overheard all this and was mad that I was comforting a slave. He slapped Frida across her face and told her to do his chores. I was mad and stood up bravely and asked him if he wanted to hurt me. His face went red and I do think he wanted to hit me. He did not. He told me that I was under Emporer protection. He also told me that I had to learn how to keep slaves in their place. 

The Emporer called me to dine with him one evening. Cato was there and some men that I did not know. I sat and ate some food while being shocked at how much the Romans ate. I did not like Roman food all that much. They used a lot of fish sauce and they ate a lot of fish. 

The Emporer was worried. The poor people of Rome were starving, as there was not enough food. He asked Cato what he thought and Cato proudly said to let them starve. He reasoned that the poor live in overpopulated areas and food shortages acted as population control. 

The Emporer asked me what I would do. This made Cato laugh as he said girls knew nothing about such things. 

"With all respect, you are the Emporer that has a lot of responsibility" I started, "Romans are like your children and you are their father. They trust in you. I am sure they love you but this love can quickly become hate if they think you do not think you care. They will revolt and your life will be in danger. Rome is a large empire, so I would bring food in from areas outside Rome. Then I would sell it cheap to the poor. They would be happy and you would be a hero"

Cato laughed at this, but the Emporer scratched his chin. He told some men at the table to get some wheat in Egypt and use this to fill the storage areas in Rome. Until this was done, he ordered that the current supply will be given to the poor. Cato looked at his dad in a confused way. The Emporer explained that it was important that Romans helped each other and was compassionate. It was his duty to show by example. 

A few days later, the Emporer wanted me to take a walk. As we walked, he told me that I surprised him. He thought I was a simple salvage from some uncivilized land. Since I came to the palace, he was told I was very intelligent and creative. On top of that, he heard that I was polite and ladylike. He sighed as he said this and admitted that he wished that I could influence his son. I did not tell him what I thought of Cato. 

It was quickly known that the Emporer took my advice and he even went on walks with me. I could see how the Romans and slaves looked at me. Their expressions showed contempt and hate. I knew what they were thinking. I may be dressed as a Roman. I may even look like a Roman. This being said, I was a princess from a tribe far away. They considered my tribe as barbarians, uncivilised and we should all be slaves. 

Cato was right with one thing. I would never be accepted and despite the Emporer liked me, my life was in his hands. 

* * *

_**To be continued** _

_**I hoped you will follow me, like this story and even comment on it. I appreciate it when people do this** _


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